The season of giving is upon us

Cornerstone League recognizes member credit unions’ news about their growth, expansion, and community endeavors to exemplify the “people helping people” philosophy.

Texas Trust traditions make Christmas merry and bright for kids

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Since 2011, Texas Trust Credit Union has donated to Toys for Tots, hosted by Mansfield Independent School District. This year, the credit union’s Texas Trust Gives Foundation expanded its contributions beyond Mansfield to help children in more communities.

The Mansfield Toys for Tots drive received $7,500 from the foundation, $2,000 worth of new bikes, and nearly 375 new toys collected through Texas Trust’s branches. The foundation also donated $6,000 for inaugural city-wide toy drives coordinated through the school districts in Cedar Hill, Arlington, and Grand Prairie. The Athens and San Angelo school districts also received donations, for an overall total of $17,000 in contributions for the 2023 Toys for Tots campaign.

The Toys for Tots Shopping Challenge

This Texas Trust tradition has grown to include a local shopping challenge in which credit union employees compete against another business in a race to see who can fill the most shopping carts with toys. This year’s challenge between Texas Trust Credit Union and Texas Health took place at Academy Sports and Outdoors in Mansfield.

The two teams were cheered on by executives from each organization and cheerleaders from various Mansfield high schools. While Texas Health employees crossed the checkout line with the most in their baskets, Toys for Tots took home the grand prize: all the toys from the shopping challenge.

“Christmas is about sacrificial giving and love, and that’s what our employees treasure about Toys for Tots,” said Washima Huq, executive director of the Texas Trust Gives Foundation. “It allows us to help parents in the community who may be struggling financially to provide that special toy for their child on Christmas morning.”

View the video from the Texas Trust shopping challenge.

Pictured above right: A representative from Texas Health in Mansfield and Texas Trust Credit Union CEO Jim Minge prepare for the Toys for Tots shopping challenge at Academy Sports and Outdoors.

Texas charities reap $26,500 as Texas A&M IBE companies donate profits

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A dozen Texas charities are $26,500 richer thanks to this year’s Texas A&M Mays Business School Integrated Business Experience (IBE) program. IBE students formed real businesses and worked to bring a product or service to market, starting with seed funding provided by Aggieland Credit Union, a subsidiary of Austin-based Greater Texas Credit Union.

The 12 companies together earned $26,500 operating their businesses during the fall semester. At the end of the program, each company presented its achievements to attendees of the final showcase and was evaluated and judged on its work over the semester. The company that raised the most for its nonprofit was Bring the Water.

Bring the Water designed and sold bottle and drink accessory products. The “Bottle Bestie” was a storage pouch that wraps around a reusable water/drink holder so the user can store cards, licenses, keys, etc. The “Caps Off Coaster” had a built-in bottle opener and featured Aggie designs. The $4,000 in profits from the sales of these products were appropriately donated to the Texas Water Mission.

This year’s 12 IBE companies and their donations were:

• 12th Bag, $2,260 to Brazos Valley Food Bank
• Ag Bag, $3,948 to Brazos Valley Food Bank Backpack Program
• Bling Vault, $2,346 to Boys and Girls Club of Brazos Valley
• Boot 'n Rally, $864 to Boot Campaign
• Bright Light Memories, $2,185 to National Alzheimer’s Association
• Bring the Water, $4,000 to Texas Water Mission
• Cliffhanger Hats, $434 to Keep Texas Beautiful
• Cool Ag Towels, $2,147 to Voices for Children
• Hats Off, $2,326 to Brazos Valley Cares
• Lone Star Sips, $1,963 to Taylor's Place
• Revelle Athletics, $1,758 to Voices for Children
• Toteally Green, $2,303 to Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation

“This was our eighth year sponsoring the IBE Showcase, and it was the largest program yet, with the most teams,” said Sidney Henderson, vice president of marketing for Greater Texas | Aggieland Credit Union. “We helped the teams this year by increasing the amount they could borrow and starting the process earlier, so they had more time to produce and sell their products.”

Aggieland Credit Union officials, Rachel Bond (front far left),
JT Morgan (back far left), Cheyenne Vessels (front far right), and
John Corona (back far right) recognized the Bring the Water business team
for achieving the highest earnings and charity donation. Bring the Water
earned $4,000, which it donated to the Texas Water Mission.

WEOKIE Foundation offering $50,000 in college scholarships

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The WEOKIE Foundation is dedicated to empowering Oklahomans to build positive financial futures. Since its inception in 2006, the Foundation has awarded scholarships totaling more than $690,500 to deserving high school seniors desiring a post-secondary education. The WEOKIE Foundation has awarded 25 high school seniors a $2,000 college or vocational school scholarship.

Each student is to submit an essay identifying the career they wish to pursue. They are asked to share the challenges they might encounter in their chosen career field and detail their strategies or tactics to reach their goal.

Applications are open to all graduating seniors in Canadian, Cleveland, Grady, Lincoln, Logan, McClain, Pottawattamie, and Oklahoma counties where WEOKIE serves existing members. The deadline for the scholarship contest is Friday, Jan. 19, 2024.

Visit the scholarships WEOKIE Foundation webpage for more information.

Meritrust announces deal with K-State's Cam Carter, Ayoka Lee

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Wichita-based Meritrust Credit Union has partnered with two K-State basketball standouts: Junior Guard Cam Carter and Senior Center Ayoka Lee. Meritrust has long focused on championing the financial success of student-athletes and is the Official Financial Well-being Partner of K-State Athletics. This partnership helps student-athletes understand money management and empower their financial decisions off the court, focusing on education and mentorship.

“We are incredibly excited to work with these athletes who are not only exceptionally talented but hardworking and passionate individuals,” says president/CEO James Nastars. “We believe in the power of financial education, and through this partnership, we aim to equip Cam and Ayoka with the tools and knowledge they need to build a strong financial foundation for their future.”

Lee is a center for the women's basketball team, pursuing her master’s degree in couple and family therapy. She has numerous athletic achievements, including an NCAA Division I record for most points scored in a single game.

“It’s important for me to use my platform as a student-athlete to spread awareness around important topics,” Lee said. “Money management being one of them, I want my peers to make sure they are learning the importance of financial management.”

Carter, a men’s basketball team guard, studies human development and family science. As an up-and-coming player, Carter has established a strong presence on the court. He is one of four Wildcats to start all games during the 2022–23 season.

“Not only am I thankful for the chance to spread awareness about financial well-being, but to have the opportunity to learn about it myself,” Carter said. “As a student-athlete, when you work with brands and companies, there are certain financial factors to consider. This partnership better prepares me for those conversations.”

This opportunity was facilitated by The Wildcats’ Den, an NIL collective supporting K-State student-athletes in a variety of NIL endeavors.

“We can’t wait to see the positive impacts that this campaign has on our student-athletes and our Meritrust partners,” says Logan Craghead, general manager of The Wildcats’ Den. “NIL engagements like this one provide student-athletes with new and unique ways to connect with their fans, supporters, and K-State alumni.”